Luigi Bruins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Luigi Bruins

Bruins with Feyenoord in August 2008
Personal information
Full name	Luigi Maud Bruins
Date of birth	(1987-03-09) 9 March 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1993–2004	Excelsior
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2007	Excelsior	66	(10)
2007–2011	Feyenoord	90	(11)
2011	Red Bull Salzburg	3	(0)
2012	Excelsior	9	(2)
2013–2014	Nice	22	(1)
2013–2014	Nice II	4	(1)
2014–2021	Excelsior	173	(22)
2021–2024	VV Smitshoek	16	(1)
International career‡
2007–2008	Netherlands U21	10	(2)
Managerial career
2024–	VV Zwaluwen
Medal record Men's football Representing  Netherlands UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2007 Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 August 2007

Luigi Bruins, born on March 9, 1987, is a former Dutch professional footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder. After his playing career, he became a football manager. When he was young, Feyenoord didn't pick him for their team. Instead, he joined the Excelsior youth academy. Bruins started playing for Excelsior's main team in the 2004–05 season. He helped them win the Eerste Divisie title the next year. After playing well in the Eredivisie, he signed a four-year contract with Feyenoord. Bruins also played for the Netherlands Under-21 team. He helped them win the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 2007.

Luigi Bruins' Football Journey

Playing for Excelsior Rotterdam

Early Years and Youth Academy (1993–2004)

Luigi Bruins was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He started playing football when he was six years old. He wanted to play at the highest level. So, he tried out for Feyenoord, a big club. But Feyenoord decided not to invite him to their youth academy.

Instead, Bruins was asked to join Excelsior. He went through all the youth teams at Excelsior. He stayed there until he made his professional debut in 2005.

Breaking Through (2004–2006)

Bruins played his first professional game for Excelsior in the 2004–05 season. On January 28, 2005, he came into the game in the 78th minute. This was during an Eerste Divisie match against FC Eindhoven. It was the only game he played that season.

Bruins really started to shine in the 2005–06 season. The new Excelsior coach, Mario Been, put Bruins in his favorite position. He played as a right midfielder in a 4–3–3 formation. Bruins scored his first professional goal on August 12, 2005. This was in the first game of the season against Cambuur Leeuwarden.

Excelsior surprisingly competed for the Eerste Divisie championship. On March 31, 2006, Excelsior won against VVV-Venlo. This win secured the Eerste Divisie title for Excelsior in 2005–06. Bruins was very important in helping Excelsior get promoted to the Eredivisie. He scored 4 goals in 35 matches.

Playing in the Eredivisie (2006–2007)

After Excelsior's promotion, many thought they would be relegated right away. They had the smallest budget in the Eredivisie. Also, few players had experience in the top league. Bruins made his Eredivisie debut on August 19, 2006. This was in a home game against Roda JC.

He scored his first Eredivisie goals on September 9, 2006. He scored two penalty kicks in a home match against SC Heerenveen. Excelsior finished 16th in the Eredivisie. This meant they had to play in promotion/relegation playoffs. Excelsior won their playoff matches and stayed in the top league.

While at Excelsior, many clubs were interested in Bruins. Big Dutch clubs like Ajax, AZ, and PSV wanted him. Even Tottenham Hotspur from England was interested. On January 26, 2006, Feyenoord announced they had signed Bruins. He would join them for the 2007–08 season with a four-year contract.

Time at Feyenoord (2007–2011)

Bruins' move to Feyenoord happened at the same time as many famous players joined. These included Roy Makaay from Bayern Munich and Giovanni van Bronckhorst from Barcelona. Because of all the competition, people thought Bruins would mostly be a substitute.

However, after Royston Drenthe left for Real Madrid, Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk made Bruins a regular player. He played as a left winger. Bruins played 27 Eredivisie matches in his first season with Feyenoord. He scored six goals.

After some small injuries, Bruins started to play less often in the 2008–09 season. His agent said it would be better for Bruins to go on loan in January 2010. This was so he could get more playing time.

Playing for Salzburg, Excelsior, and Nice (2011–2014)

In October 2011, Bruins signed a contract with Red Bull Salzburg. This was until the end of the 2011–12 season. But his contract was ended after only three games. He left Salzburg at the end of 2011.

Luigi Bruins then tried out for Rangers F.C. and was linked to VVV-Venlo. On March 9, 2012, Bruins signed with his old team Excelsior. He played for them until the end of that season.

Bruins signed a contract with OGC Nice in France on January 15, 2013. He played 22 matches for the French team over a year and a half. He scored one goal there. His contract was not extended, and he left the club in June 2014.

Returning to Excelsior and Smitshoek (2014–2024)

On September 13, 2014, it was announced that Bruins had returned to Excelsior for the third time. He signed a deal to play until the end of the season.

In July 2021, Bruins joined VV Smitshoek, a club in the fifth tier of Dutch football. He signed a three-year contract with them. After these three years, he retired from playing football.

International Career

Bruins was part of the Netherlands Under-21 squad. This team won the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. The Dutch team kept their title from 2006 by winning 4–1 against Serbia Under-21 in the final. Bruins scored the fourth goal for the Netherlands, which secured their victory.

In the summer of 2008, Bruins was not chosen for the Netherlands Olympic team. He was on the list of players considered, but he wasn't in the final 18-player squad.

Managing Career

Luigi Bruins started managing VV Zwaluwen in 2024.

Career Statistics

Honours and Achievements

Excelsior

• Eerste Divisie: 2005–06

Feyenoord

• KNVB Cup: 2007–08

Netherlands U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2007

See also

In Spanish: Luigi Bruins para niños